Saturday, February 19, 2005

FOI talk to NHS Modernisation Agency

This link is to a online meeting/talk given to staff of the NHS Modernisation Agency by Laura Ladd about the Freedom of Information Act. It is delivered via Webex which requires the use of their "training manager" plug in. (The security certificate on the download showed up as out of date on my version!).

A link to the presentation is available from the MA's Virtual Conferencing Centre from a page headed "Staff Portal" - which makes me wonder whether I should have been able to get access to it, without any sort of password - or whether it will remain available for long? Alternativley this could represent an encouraging move towards openness as the Modernisation Agency and NHSu move towards the creation of the NHS Institute for Learning, Skills and Innovation.

The presentation contains some useful advice about the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and the MAs progress towards it. Several items struck me as key - that there should be a presumption to disclose, that embarrassment of an individual or organisation is not grounds to withhold information, and to "think of disclosure before exemptions - A nil response may reult in a complaint". A final recommendation is to be prepared to remove individual identifiable material rather than refusing to disclose.

0 Comments:

About

Eclectic news and views on health informatics and elearning, by Rod Ward & colleagues. UK bias but worldwide coverage.
If you want to join the membership so that you can post comments - just let me know rod@rodspace.co.ukReturn to lastest posts